Welcome Home
by ohsoxalive
Summary: The Prince of the Fire Nation has returned. [It was time to visit home again, she confirmed.] [short story of Lady Ursa & only slight shipping]
1. home

**a/****z: Just a quick thought that came to my mind during the first episode. Enjoy.**

**Standard Disclaimers apply.**

.x.

_"Your prince has returned!"_

Far away from all the news that bellowed from two older women, far from the commotion at the Fire Nation's Palace, and far from any trouble, rested a small home.

The cracked door squeaked as an eerie wind knocked against the old wood. Long streaks of both weather and painful memories chipped the side of the house, while the interior could not be considered any better that the outside of the rustic house. An unnaturally chilly breeze swept across the lonely country side, the sun peaking over the burning mountains of the fiery land.

Inside the home, a woman sat inside.

Her delicate _(but yet so heavy)_ hands rested on the table, the one with the wobbly leg. A hot cup of tea soothed her plainly painted lips as her amber eyes blinked tiredly.

Oddly, voices from her neighbors were louder than usual, but today she didn't feel like taking the time to even notice.

With a sigh, the middle aged woman whose heart ached worse than the condition of her rented home, continued to listen to the soft drumming of her finger nails against the hard wood.

Then she heard it.

Cheering. People were cheering.

Turning her head, a frown resided on her thin lips. Her long hair lashed around with her, bouncing lightly on her stiff back. Holding her teacup, she stood to her feet, the loud squeaking of her chair was the only sound that she made.

Walking to her window, she carefully pulled back the dark curtains that gave her privacy in the small town she _liked_ to consider her new home. Gripping her cup tightly, she slightly narrowed her eyes in order to listen what was happening outside. Vaguely, just vaguely, she could make out a few voices from the crowd.

"_Did you hear? Ba Sing Se has fallen! The war might end soon!"_

_"Princess Azula is back!"_

"And Prince Zuko has returned."

Ursa gasped.

The teacup slipped from her hands, the liquid flailing and splashing to the floor. Bits and pieces shattered, the red and green designs separating and crashing on her tiled floor. The pool of tea became a puddle at her feet, her heart sinking so much lower than it, _(Agni, this can't be happening, this can't be) _and she could do nothing but feel her heart stop.

Glancing over her shoulder, her amber eyes trailed to the chest she kept under her bed, the very place where a single cape and a single crown was hidden.

It was time to visit home again, Ursa confirmed.


	2. nightmares

**a/n****: Decided to continue this, because inspiration always ensues me.**

**Probably going to be a short story, maybe 4-8 chapters.****All revolving around ****Ursa****, only.**** Enjoy.**

-x-

Her hands were shaking.

They shook like the curtains quivering in the wind, sweating nervously as she ran across the room. The puddle near the door leaked, and the broken teacup was forgotten along with the rest of the world. Her mind raced with thoughts, and she had to remind herself to _breathe._

"Zuko,"

Ursa's voice came out as a pant, desperately searching for oxygen.

Falling to her knees, she hastily blew the hair that fell on her face. Reaching under the small bed, she quickly pulled out a sacred chest, her thin fingers grasping it with white knuckles. The minute her eyes landed on the wooden box, she exhaled a breath of air.

_It's __been so long. __Too long._

Her fingers grazed along the exterior of the box, running along the edges while memories flooded through her. Deep cracks scratched her fingers, but she ignored them as she blinked something wet from her eyes.

Holding her breath, she opened the chest.

Lifting the cover up, it opened with a loud groan. As she did, her fingers immediately dove inside the box, a thin layer of dust flurried around her inside the chest filled with secrets and past regrets. Diving inside the box, her hands grabbed a thick piece of cloth.

Pulling the long robe from the chest, she felt herself choke on that very night so long ago.

Wrinkles cascaded down the silky linen, as her hand went up to gently wipe away the dust and dirt. Blinking her tired eyes, she let out a sigh when she placed it aside. The dark robe watched her, and she could sense it, Ursa knew, she always had known, that this day would come. _But was she ready for it?_

Her hands returned to the chest.

They reached inside the chest, digging deep, deep, _deep_ into what seemed a box without a bottom.Then.

She found it.

The brim of her fingers felt a sharp pain, as the memory in her muscles remembered the shape of the object she held, the tiny pointed edges sending a shock of the past through her pumping veins. Closing her eyes, she realized that this had to be done.

Ursa held the crown in her hands.

It was still golden and perfect, and everything that it should be. Exactly how she had left it. Fit for a _queen_, but still only a memory of the past. Her tongue licked her dry lips, and she could already feel _it_ running inside of her.

In order for this to be done correctly, she must be complete and whole, everything she used to be. She'd have to leave as the woman she once was, or the gap in her heart would burn. You can't runaway from the past, as they say, so she'd face it even if the regret on her shoulders weighed her down.

Ursa placed the crown on her head, pulled the dark hood over her head, and slipped away in the middle of the night to return back to the place that she gave her nightmares.

Home.


	3. hiding

**a/n****: Inspiration is a tricky goober. ****Keeps coming back to me in the middle of the night.**

-x-

Time clicked away.

It hummed by, as her back met with the wall, and she let out a soft sigh that escaped from her heart. The hood towered over her face, flowing behind her regally, following her heavy footsteps along the marble floor.

Click.

Click.

_Click._

She's been standing there for too long, so long that her muscles are beginning to tense. Hugging herself, she leaned against the wall, hiding in the shadows. It was so easy to get in, because she used to know every corner and room of this palace, but who knew it would be so hard to take one more step? The guards who let her in, the ones who immediately opened the doors for her when they saw her, just as she simply placed a finger to her lips, were just around the corner, keeping their eyes open for the sake of the ex-Fire Lady.

It didn't make her feel any better.

All she wanted to do was run. Run like she always has, leave until her legs fall under her, and until all the problems s_eem_ to be gone. Even if they aren't, Ursa was a professional at pretending. Hiding behind a wall, she felt her heart beating along with time, perhaps even slower, so slow, that she barely felt It there.

Until, she saw him.

Her amber eyes widened, a gasp surpassing her thin lips.

She could only think one thing.

_He's grown._

Looking both ways, so she was positively sure that no one but the faithful guards were around, she took a step forward. Her foot met with the marble floor, and an overwhelming (_yet so familiar)_ feeling shook her body, causing her hands to shake once again. It was the same feeling that returned to her during the night, during her nightmares, and so many years ago, the day she left.

Something heavy was squishing her lungs, blocking the pathways, and punching her ribs.

Guilt.

Even if the very air she once used to laugh at this very place suffocated her, she managed to spill out a single word, two syllables, and a lifetime of regret.

"Z_uko__!"_

He didn't turn around.


End file.
